Finally, finally, Korean baseball has reached the height of 160 km per hour.
Moon Dong-ju (20, Hanwha Eagles) started against the KIA Tigers in Gwangju on the 12th and struck out 3 pitches with a fastball of 160.1 km/h (based on Sports 2I) at the plate of Park Chan-ho at the end of the 1st inning. 159 km per hour was recorded on the electronic display board in the hall, and 161 km per hour was recorded in the arrest of the relay broadcasting company.
It is the first time in the history of the KBO League, which is in its 42nd season, that a Korean pitcher has thrown a ball at 160 km per hour. The previous record was 158.7 km per hour, set by Choi Dae-seong (Lotte Giants at the time) on September 7, 2012 at the Hanwha War. An Woo-jin (Kiwoom Heroes), who reigns as the best ace in the KBO League, threw 158.4 km per hour in the SSG Landers game on September 30 last year and was following him.
It is not that there were no records. Park Chan-ho recorded the maximum speed of 163 km per hour with his own speed gun during his minor league days under the Los Angeles Dodgers of the Major League (MLB). Lim Chang-yong also reached the peak of 160 km per hour during his time with the Yakult Swallows of the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Lim Chang-yong, who pitched against the Hanshin Tigers on May 15 and 16, 2009, set a record of 160 km/h in both games. In the KBO League, former SK Wyverns (now SSG) pitcher Eom Jeong-wook recorded the highest speed of 163 km per hour in Group 2 (Futures League), but it was not an official record.
Twenty-year-old pitcher Moon Dong-ju has reached a height that even outstanding legends have not reached. Moon Dong-ju was a ‘cotyledonous leaf’. He joined Hanwha through the first 2022 rookie nomination. When he was in his third year of high school, he was already the largest fish with a top speed of 154 km/h.
Genes are indispensable for throwing light-speed balls. Moon Dong-ju’s father, track and field coach Moon Joon-heum, was a national hammer thrower. He served as the national team coach for the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, the 2011 World Championships, and the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games, and is currently the director of the Jangheung-gun Blue Track and Field Team. Director Moon passed on to his son, Dong-ju Moon, a shoulder that can throw a fastball instead of a hammer and a strong physique (1m88cm, 97kg).
Heredity isn’t everything. His father’s influence was rather manifested in his mentality. Jinheung High School coach Oh Chul-hee, who watched him as a coach at Hwajeong Elementary School in Gwangju and a high school command tower, said, “Dong-ju was influenced a lot in the mental aspect by his father. Perhaps because he grew up under a father who is an athlete, he has excellent understanding since elementary school. Because I learned.”
He wasn’t a ‘born genius’. Coach Oh Cheol-hee said, “During elementary school, Dong-ju was a player with very good basic skills. He had excellent flexibility and was sure of the basic skills.” It was about,” he recalled.
After entering Jinheung High School, flowers bloomed in earnest. Moon Dong-joo, who joined Jinheung High School three to four months before entering school, strengthened his lower body. Coach Oh Chul-hee said, “At the time, Dong-ju’s growth plate was less closed. So instead of weight training, he focused on lower body exercises and strengthening training.”
Coach Oh Cheol-hee said, “I couldn’t pitch much in middle school, so the players and parents must have been greedy. But I was in no hurry. My parents believed in my son, saying that he would not end up just playing baseball in the first year of high school. I also watched his growth potential from elementary school. I believed in him. Dong-ju followed suit calmly,” he explained.
He instead grew his knowledge and mentality. Moon Dong-ju under the guidance of Jinheung High School pitching coach at the time, Seo Han-jung, received sufficient theoretical training and injury prevention education. Coach Oh Chul-hee said, “I think the classes I took at that time helped to build strong shoulders. In middle school, Dong-joo was psychologically intimidated by being pushed aside by his peers. In high school, he helped him to develop his strength. Yun-shik Kim (LG Twins), who was the ace at the time. Watching his pitching, my mentality improved a lot.”
That’s how Moon Dong-ju, the largest language, was created. Recording a top speed of 148 km/h in his second year of high school, he finally became a national ace in his third year. However, KIA, a related team, chose another biggest fish shortstop Kim Do-young in the first nomination.
The Hanwha scout team, which chose a national nomination instead of a local nomination, was delighted. At the time, Jeong Min-hyeok, head of the Hanwha scouting team, recalled that he was desperate to be nominated as a large pitcher. “Moon Dong-ju was a player with infinite potential for growth. “I was a pitcher, but my velocity got faster every year. My body continued to grow. In my second year, only my speed was fast, but in my third year, my speed increased more and I got more room on the mound.”
Could it be that joining the lowest-ranked team caught Moon Dong-ju’s ankles? Director Chul-Hee Oh rather praised Hanwha’s achievements. Director Oh said, “Hanwha’s contribution is really big. At the time of nomination, Hanwha said, ‘We invest in the team by looking at the future. Of course, we will appoint them in the first team, but we will not overdo it’. And we are keeping that promise.” .
In fact, Hanwha has never been in a hurry. Considering the fact that he was born in December, his short experience as a full-time pitcher, and the fact that he played for the youth national team, he gave priority to rehabilitation training and rest at the 2nd team camp instead of the 1st team spring camp. He carefully managed the number of pitches and took as long a recovery period as possible after getting injured during the season.
Choi Won-ho, coach of the Hanwha Futures team, said, “The club established a long-term roadmap for Moon Dong-ju and handled it carefully from the beginning. Players like Dong-ju are not arbitrarily touched on the field. caught,” he said.
Director Choi Won-ho said, “Ordinary pitcher’s strength increases every year until their mid-twenties. When they go to pro and receive more systematic training and management than when they were in high school, their strength increases. Dong-ju’s increase is large.” The movement is smooth. The process of striding with the legs up and out is also well-balanced. At the time of joining, the strength of the forelimbs that form the axis at the time of distributing the ball was weak, but now it has been supplemented and serves as a good support. Looking at it, the pitching motion has been quite stable,” he explained.
Manager Choi Won-ho said, “In the past, depending on the leader’s inclination, there were many cases where the pitcher’s form was affected. There were cases that worked well, but there were many cases that did not work out well. I decided to watch it (with patience) unless I couldn’t score a strike.”
160 km/h is the starting point, not the end point of Moon Dong-ju. Recording an average ERA of 1.64 with 1 win and 1 loss this season, he is, in fact, the ace of Hanwha. Manager Choi Won-ho expected, “After 1-2 years of experience, my management skills will improve. By the time I am in my mid-20s, I will become a representative pitcher for our country.” Team leader Jeong Min-hyeok also said, “He is a great pitcher as the first starter in Korea. Skill is skill, but personality is so great. I hope his juniors will work hard with Dong-ju as a role model.”
Could the second Moon Dong-ju appear? This is the homework of all Korean baseball, which was completely defeated by Japanese pitchers’ fastballs in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) last March. Only when Moon Dong-ju grows and pitchers come out to compete with him can the nature of Korean baseball be strengthened. Coach Oh Cheol-hee said,메이저사이트 “No matter where you train, the basic training is the same. Instead, you need to study theory to develop the ability to accept. Dong-ju also studied with coach Seo Han-jung and learned how not to get hurt. In the future, coaches and players need to think carefully and study more.”
Manager Choi Won-ho said, “It is important to recruit players with good skills and hardware, and to systematically analyze them and lead them to a long-term roadmap. “I looked.